Many important environments contain a substantial population of undesirable plant species. These undesirable plant species are a nuisance in human-controlled environments, in particular landscaped urban and suburban settings, as well as managed parklands.
Moreover, undesirable plant species can contribute to mammalian infection as well. Many outdoor areas receive high traffic from humans and their pet companions. Often, while enjoying the outdoors or performing landscaping work, undesirable plant species, such as poison ivy for example, cause allergic reactions in humans and domestic animals resulting in rashes where the undesirable plant contacted the skin. These rashes become highly inflamed and cause severe itching. As animals scratch the inflamed area, the skin can become infected by bacteria and result in the need for antibiotic intervention. Further still, these undesirable plant species can cause an appearance that observers find unattractive, especially in gardens that are maintained for aesthetic appeal.
Currently, the most common approach to combating undesirable plants is to use chemical herbicides. Use of chemical herbicides, however, is not without its challenges. Due to increases in herbicide use, many undesirable plants have developed herbicide resistance. The resistant plants will often need to be treated with newer herbicides, while other undesirable plants need to be treated with a completely different herbicide. Such practices increase herbicide resistance and typically require the continuous retreatment of land. This not only increases the overall cost of treatment but also increases the potential for toxic accumulation of the herbicide in the environment and in soils. Thus, there is a continuing need for newer, environmentally superior solutions for controlling undesirable plant species.
Microbial solutions have been developed for use as an alternative, or in some cases as a supplement, to chemical herbicides. Exemplary treatment compositions can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,775,405; 4,715,881; 4,808,207; and 5,221,314, as well as U.S. Patent Application Publication No.: 2008/0269177 and CN Patent No.: 101919412. Microbial solutions typically involve use of a living organism (e.g., bacteria and fungi) that is capable of controlling (e.g., killing and/or intervening in the life cycle) of the undesirable plant. Examples of microbial solutions for controlling undesirable plants include microbial herbicides, and in particular, fungal herbicides including strains of Colletotrichum spp.
As natural agents, microbial solutions to pest management offer more eco-friendly options for controlling undesirable plants. A need exists for superior microbial control of noxious weedy/invasive plant pests.